INTRODUCTION
Hello!  My name is John Wessel-McCoy.  I am an aspiring secondary education history teacher at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.  Welcome to my portfolio.  
For the past two decades I have worked in grassroots community and religious organizations committed to confronting issues of poverty, racism, and ecological devastation.  In this context, I always gravitated towards the work of leadership development and education.  To that end, engagement with history has always been central to my life and work.
I bring a passion to history along with a commitment to teaching content for the purposes of leadership development and civic engagement. My extensive and diverse practical work and educational experiences have equipped me with a unique perspective, which I will bring to the classroom every day.  As a student of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, I have been prepared to transfer my prior experiences and skills to the secondary level classroom.
I am deeply committed to the unity of practice and theory. The study of history should speak to the experiences and concerns of our lives, no matter our age. To that end, I am seeking to create effective learning opportunities for the future leaders of our society, with a particular concern for those who have been marginalized and discounted. It is absolutely critical that students have the chance to develop the tools necessary in order to know the world in which they live - and to change it. My approach is rooted in the practice of critical and strategic thinking, alongside a deep consideration for moral questions that we face individually and as a community. 
I have faith that my experience in leadership development, organization, and collaborative work within many contexts will be of service to your school.

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